The Raider women’s lacrosse team continued its Patriot League dominance last weekend at Tyler’s Field. The Raiders, playing their fourth league game of the season, hosted the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh on Saturday. Entering the game in a tie atop the conference standings, the women put their undefeated league record on the line.

To the delight of the home crowd, the team’s record remained unblemished as it dominated in every aspect of the game, destroying the Hawks by a score of 17-6.

After falling behind by a score of 2-1 early in the first half, the Raiders went on a rampage against the helpless Mountain Hawks, going on an incredible 15-1 run to take a commanding 16-3 lead.

“Our whole first half was filled with key plays,” senior co-Captain Heidi Ross said. “We dominated pretty much from the first five minutes until halftime.”

With the game in hand, the Raiders had the luxury of playing their entire roster, allowing the reserves to gain valuable playing experience against a conference foe. The final score was indicative of Colgate’s thorough dismantling of the Lehigh team.

Senior Katie McVeigh led the way for the Raiders as usual, tallying four goals and two assists in the victory. Senior co-captain Kelly Winning added a hat trick, while junior Megan Janson and first-year Ashley Didio contributed two goals apiece. First-year Erin Poulter further energized the squad by scoring her first collegiate goal midway through the first half.

Senior goalkeeper Sue Bielamowicz – always solid in net – stopped five of the eight shots she faced in the first half. With the score getting out of hand, the Raiders replaced Bielamovicz in the second half with first-year Kari Morrison, who made two saves. Classmate Sara Drexler also made her first collegiate appearance, holding the Mountain Hawks scoreless in the game’s final four minutes.

“I think that our decisive win over Lehigh sent a message out to the rest of the league, and also gave us confidence going into our two biggest Patriot League games,” Ross said, speaking about the squad’s upcoming contests against Holy Cross and American.

On Wednesday, in one of the team’s biggest non-conference games of the season, Colgate traveled to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse. The Orange, ranked 14th in the nation, are always a strong team, especially on their home turf. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the home team proved to be a bit too strong for Colgate, as they rolled to a 12-8 victory.

Although the game ended in Syracuse’s favor, it was a strong showing for the Raiders, as they displayed their veteran leadership and gifted young talent. Janson scored the game’s opening goal, while Winning netted one and McVeigh added a hat trick. A duo of first-years provided a glimpse of this team’s incredibly bright future, as Maddie Kearns and Molly Carroll scored the final two goals of the game.

Bielamowicz continued her solid season, recording 14 saves. Her counterpart, Syracuse’s Jen Kasel, made 13 stops.

The Raiders continue their Patriot League season this weekend in the team’s second-to-last league contest. The game will be very important for many reasons, especially to the team’s 10 seniors.

“This Saturday against American will be our senior recognition game,” Ross said. “This will be a very special day for the 10 seniors and I guarantee that we will create a positive outcome on our last official home game.”

Adding to the significance of the game, American is currently 3-1 in the Patriot League, just a game behind the 4-0 Raiders. The game starts at noon at Tyler’s Field.